Zola Adds Social Features to iPhone, iPad Reading App

Indie ebook retailer Zola Books rolled out a new update today for their iOS app. (Or at least they planned to release the app today; it's not available yet.)

When the app is available, readers will be able to read alone or with friends using highlighting, commenting, and sharing. They can use their Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Goodreads account to either sign in or create a new account.

The new Zola app will enable readers to share with small groups of users such as friends, family, and book clubs within the Zola network - all from inside the ebook they are reading, and it will also let them to share more broadly on Facebook and Twitter. Readers can also follow favorite authors on Zola network to see their comments and annotations in books.

Having officially launched on multiple occasions in 2012 and 2013, Zola Books has a checkered history that includes goals like displacing the Kindle Store in 5 to 10 years. Lately the ebookstore has taken more realistic steps, including raising $5.1 million in a funding round in November 2013, and acquiring the book discovery site Bookish in January 2014.

Zola Books currently stocks around 150,000 titles in their ebookstore.

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Nate Hoffelder is the founder and editor of The Digital Reader:"I've been into reading ebooks since forever, but I only got my first ereader in July 2007. Everything quickly spiraled out of control from there. Before I started this blog in January 2010 I covered ebooks, ebook readers, and digital publishing for about 2 years as a part of MobileRead Forums. It's a great community, and being a member is a joy. But I thought I could make something out of how I covered the news for MobileRead, so I started this blog."